Entries now open for the 15th annual Hankook 24H DUBAI in 2020

13.05.2019: Teams and drivers can now register to compete at the 15th annual Hankook 24H DUBAI, the major international endurance race for GTs, touring cars and 24H SERIES silhouette machines that is scheduled to take place on 9-10-11 January 2020.

Teams and drivers can now register to compete at the 15th annual Hankook 24H DUBAI, the major international endurance race for GTs, touring cars and 24H SERIES silhouette machines that is scheduled to take place on 9-10-11 January 2020.

First run in 2006 at the 5.39km Dubai Autodrome in the United Arab Emirates, the 24-hour event was the original official endurance race organised by CREVENTIC, and quickly established itself as a trendsetter. So successful was the 2006 running in fact that the Hankook 24H DUBAI remains among the most popular and celebrated motor racing events in the UAE every year, with grid sizes often nosing above 80-strong for the 24H SERIES headliner.

The Hankook 24H DUBAI: a brief history

In the 14 events to-date, 49 drivers representing 10 different teams have claimed outright victory, while upwards of 30 different global manufacturers have been represented on the grid. So unpredictable is the competition, only nine drivers have taken repeat overall victories at an event that has seen luminaries like Formula 1 alumni Robert Kubica, Jean-Eric Vergne, Jan Magnussen and Mika Salo, former World Touring Car Champion Rob Huff, former Le Mans winners Brendon Hartley and Hans Stuck, and even Mercedes-AMG F1 team principal Toto Wolff compete, and occasionally win. History could once again be written during 24 unbroken hours of running on 10-11 January in 2020.

Gerrie Willems on the importance of the Hankook 24H DUBAI after 15 years on the calendar: “It is incredible to see just how the 24H DUBAI have evolved into one of the major endurance races on the sporting calendar.

While we were smiled at for having the idea to host a 24-hour race in Dubai back when we first made plans in 2005, we couldn’t have imagined the importance the race would have 15 years later, in 2020. We can be proud of what we have built and achieved over the last one-and-a-half decades and thankful for anyone involved in making the 24H DUBAI happen and growing them to nowadays size and value.”

Full Coverage

Full coverage of the 15th annual Hankook 24H DUBAI will be broadcast via live stream with commentary from radiolemans.com on the official 24H SERIES YouTube channel.

Continuing tradition, next year’s Hankook 24H DUBAI will open the 2020 24H SERIES’ Championship of the Continents on 9-10-11 January, as has been the case since the trans-continental title chase was first inaugurated for 2017.

Competing in, and enjoying, Dubai

First opened in 2004, the Dubai Autodrome is among the region’s most respected racing facilities, featuring as it does wide run-off areas, six different track configurations, and safety standards befitting an FIA Grade 1-licenced circuit. In the past, the circuit has welcomed series as disparate as A1GP – the ‘world cup of motorsport’ – GP2 Asia, the FIA GT Championship, and European Touring Cars.

Based a stones throw from the Arabian desert, and in temperatures that regularly exceed 22°C (in winter), the self-styled ‘heart of UAE motorsport’ is located just a few clicks from one of the most vibrant metropolises in the world. During their leisure time in Dubai, competitors and their families can witness first-hand the tallest building in the world, the world’s largest choreographed fountain system, and ‘the most luxurious hotel in the world’, the Burj Al Arab, among many other landmarks.

Set to be the first 24-hour endurance race of the New Year anywhere in the world once again in 2020, the Hankook 24H DUBAI is oft-lauded for not only its relaxed, family-like atmosphere in the paddock – open to fans and competitors alike throughout the extended weekend in early January – but the level of competition across mixed categories. In 2019, nearly 80 cars and more than 350 drivers competed across nine different categories welcoming GT3-spec machines, ‘Special Prototype’ SPX silhouettes, TCR cars, recently homologated GT4 cars, and Porsche 991 Cup cars of varying generations.

To further distinguish the Hankook 24H DUBAI from ‘any other’ 24-hour motorsport event, the outright winners of both the GT and TCE divisions on Saturday 11 January will take a camel ride through the Autodrome pit lane to the podium. It’s a moment that’s truly not to be missed.

“The traditional camel ride is what sets the 24H DUBAI on a different level than any other endurance race. I am certain being the one who rides the camel towards the podium, to receive the winners’ trophy of the 24H DUBAI is something you can find on many peoples’ bucket list”, says Gerrie Willems of CREVENTIC.

The return of the TCR MIDDLE EAST SERIES

Plans are also advancing to bring the TCR Middle East Series back for its fourth consecutive season in 2020.

Last year, CREVENTIC added to its already extensive portfolio when it became the official promoter of the TCR Middle East Series, organising three events across consecutive weekends at the Dubai Autodrome and the Yas Marina Circuit.

Discussions are underway for the opening weekend of the 2020 TCR Middle East Series to take place on 9-10 January at the Dubai Autodrome, and thus become the principal support series for the Hankook 24H DUBAI.

Just one week later, and subject to final confirmation, round two could take competitors to Abu Dhabi and the Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2009. The season finale meanwhile could see a tie-up with TCR Asia (to be confirmed), as teams and drivers travel to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia for 8-9 February.

Further details regarding the 2020 Hankook 24H DUBAI and registration for the event can be found at 24hseries.com/teams.

Updates regarding the 2020 TCR Middle East Series can also be found online at middleeast.tcr-series.com.

CREVENTIC’s experienced and multi-versed team is also available via +31 485 471 166 and teams@creventic.com.

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